• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

XMRV and CFS today in the news in Spain

Rita

Senior Member
Messages
235
Messages
2
http://www.europapress.es/catalunya...a-cronica-cancer-prostata-20100907042048.html
Quick highlights in English:
Europa Press reports today that the AIDS Investigation Institue, IrsiCaixa has announced a new line of investigation into the XMRV retrovirus, to determine its relation to CFS and prostate cancer. The article says that IrsiCaixa is moving its experience in the HIV field to XMRV since both viruses present “similarities.” They also report that IrsiCaixa will be participating in the first international XMRV workshop in Maryland this week.
 
Messages
72
Location
UK
How do you see this in English?

I use Google's Chrome browser which will automatically translate any web page - clever stuff.

The translations read as:

http://www.elperiodico.com/es/notici...a/469776.shtml

A common virus detected 2 out of 3 patients with chronic fatigue
Researchers do not yet know its role in the syndrome
The institute IrsiCaixa advances in detection methods and in vitro study models

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Recent studies have found that a human retrovirus called XMRV is present in 67% or even more, of patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, a correlation which has created a hope for progress on possible treatments, although there are still numerous uncertainties . "We do not know if the virus is the cause or result of disease or replication site, nor the transmission process," the specialist assumes Juli Blanco, IrsiCaixa Institute, located in the Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Badalona.

The syndrome, characterized by severe fatigue cause, substantial loss of concentration and memory, spatial disorientation and restless sleep, among other problems, affects between 0.4% and 1% of world population. There is no effective medical treatment.

Using the experience gained in the study of HIV-AIDS virus, with which it shares some characteristics XMRV the IrsiCaixa has initiated a program to improve knowledge of retroviruses, isolated in samples from patients and improve diagnosis. "We advanced," says White, "in the immunological characterization of patients in different detection techniques and in various in vitro models that allow us to analyze the infection." The first results will be presented this month at a conference in Maryland (USA).

SIMILARITIES WITH HIV / The XMRV, discovered in 2006, is simpler than HIV, but it works in a similar way, since it uses the cell machinery to reproduce them by inserting their genetic material. Perhaps the XMRV is not solely responsible for the chronic fatigue syndrome, but a path.

The IrsiCaixa, with the support of the Fundaci La Caixa and the Department of Health, among other centers collaborating with the University of Nevada (Reno, USA), where an analysis showed that the retrovirus was present in that 67% of suffering from the disease. The results showed a surprising way-or not, since it also happens with HIV-who was also at 3.7% in healthy patients.

The "statistical correlation" has aroused the interest of a large number of laboratories, but most studies are still unable to confirm the presence of the virus, White recalls. This point becomes the viral origin of the syndrome in a highly controversial subject.

----------------------------------------------

http://www.lavanguardia.es/ciudadano...nd-clinic.html

The relationship of chronic fatigue and a virus is the head of science
A U.S. Congress conflicting results analyzed with a magnifying glass

ANA MACPHERSON | Barcelona | 07/09/2010 | Updated at 00:06 pm

The relationship between chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and a retrovirus called XMRV, and so far we only know that ill rodents, has built one of the biggest controversies that are remembered among the scientists involved in the virus. No fuss, which has convened a conference in Maryland (USA), which begins today and in the enrollment projections that have been overwhelmed for days.
"It's going to look very closely at the published results advocating this relationship between the virus and chronic fatigue syndrome, because there are several laboratories have attempted to replicate the study and failed to see either one. And you have to know one question of methodology, because the implications would be enormous, "says Julia White, a researcher at IrsiCaixa, international reference center for AIDS research investigating the matter and take part in the international meeting.

ElXMRV-a retrovirus, which is installed in the cells and integrated into their genetic material to reproduce, "began to be associated with some types of prostate cancer in 2006 and recently published an American who had detected the presence of this virus in 67% of those affected by chronic fatigue syndrome, whereas among the healthy population was 3.7%. The European and American labs tried to replicate the study with negative results, so the U.S. FDA-governmental organization that approves procedures and medications in this country on the one hand, and the infectious disease center in Atlanta, on the other, commissioned confirmation studies. And again the discrepancy. The laboratory that investigated on behalf of the FDA had positive results even higher: 86.5% of those affected by SFC compared with 6.8% in healthy people. And the Atlanta team, nothing, no virus. He rejected the connection.

Chronic fatigue syndrome is associated with multiple causes: environmental, genetic, hormonal. And most of those who are 25 000 in Catalunya can not continue with their normal lives, suffer the most number of constraints "and today we fail to cure him," admits Joaqun Fernndez Sol, Clinic internist expert in this field. For a condition as the dark, finding a cause or trigger virus would be a great hope.

CFS patients often carry a large viral load, "is a thirty viruses that are more present in them than in the general population, but has not been able to demonstrate a causal relationship," says Fernndez Sol. "We are investigating this virus in CFS patients and we expect data later this year," said Julia White. "But first we must agree on the method there is no doubt, then check for the association between virus and chronic fatigue. If that's true, we must study how it works and if it causes the syndrome or is a consequence of it."

----------------------------------------------

BARCELONA IRSICAIXA
Studying the relationship of retroviruses XMRV with chronic fatigue syndrome and prostate cancer
BARCELONA, 7 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The AIDS Research Institute IrsiCaixa has announced the launch of a new line of research on the retrovirus XMRV to determine its relationship with chronic fatigue syndrome and prostate cancer.

Recent research worldwide have determined that the XMRV, a retrovirus that behaves similarly to HIV and yet little is known, is present in 67% of patients with chronic fatigue and 40% of those develop prostate cancer, two diseases that affect about 15 people per 1,000 inhabitants.

Thus, the IrsiCaixa seeks to transfer its experience in the field of HIV to XMRV, since both viruses have "similarities", as is the use of the machinery of the cells to reproduce and replicate their genetic material and the body has reported the institute in a statement.

So far we know that XMRV is a much simpler virus than HIV, since only contains three major genes, compared to the three main and side holds the precursor of AIDS.

The knowledge of this retrovirus is still in "very preliminary stages," so it is not known how it behaves the infection cycle, the site of replication, the immune system response and the process of transmission between humans, so the new line of research aims to advance in these fields.

Currently it is estimated that between 20 and 25% of human cancers have a known viral etiology. The prostate is the most diagnosed non-cutaneous cancer among men in developed countries, making it the second leading cause of cancer mortality among them.

Chronic fatigue syndrome, for its part, is a disease that can progressively affect the immune system, neurological, cardiovascular and endocrine systems and cause characterized by severe fatigue, substantial loss of concentration and memory, among other things.

The IrsiCaixa, an institution that has the support of the Department of Health of the Government and the Fundacin La Caixa, will participate from Tuesday and Wednesday in the first 'workshop' on the XMRV International, held in Maryland (USA) .
 

Rita

Senior Member
Messages
235
Thanks a lot for the translation, d1nFL and LaurieM.
I think is good for all europeans to have a medical institute dedicated to study not only XMRV but the relation with CFS and ours immunological problems.